Business Directories

New Ferrari Spider to debut at Frankfurt show

Maranello, August 25, 2011

The new Ferrari 458 Spider, the world’s first mid-rear engined berlinetta equipped with a Ferrari patented fully retractable hard top will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

The 458 Spider is powered by Ferrari’s naturally-aspirated, direct-injection 4.5 litre V8 which was nominated as the 2011 International Engine of the Year for its engineering excellence in terms of driveability, performance, economy and refinement.

The power is transferred to the road by Ferrari’s class-leading dual-clutch F1 paddle-shift transmission through the sophisticated E-Diff, itself integrated with the F1-Trac traction control and high-performance ABS for maximum handling dynamics.

The car’s accelerator pedal mapping and the damping of the multilink suspension have been calibrated to guarantee maximum sportiness and absolute driving pleasure with the top down, in line with Maranello’s exclusive spider tradition, a statement said.

Even the engine soundtrack has been honed to ensure that the car’s occupants are completely captivated by the drop-top driving experience, it added.

Entirely in aluminium, the hard-top solution adopted for the 458 Spider offers a number of advantages over the traditional folding soft-top, including a reduction of 25 kg in weight and a deployment time of 14 seconds.

Fully integrated into the styling of the car, the hard-top was engineered to fit neatly ahead of the engine bay without compromising aerodynamics or the performance of the car.

The small space needed to house the roof enables the designers to include a generous rear bench for luggage behind the seats.

The rear of the car is characterised by innovative forms with the buttresses designed to optimise the flow of air to the engine intakes and the clutch and gearbox oil radiators.

The 458 Spider features a generously sized adjustable electric wind stop. The design was perfected to slow and diffuse the air in the cockpit, enabling normal conversation to be held even at speeds over 200 km/hr.

Frankfurt Auto Show is running from September 15 to 25. – TradeArabia News Service